Method of wrapping a bouquet

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for automatically wrapping a sheet of material about a bouquet of flowers. A sheet of material having spaced apart defined first and second portions is placed against a support member, such as a prepared table top, and the bouquet is positioned on the sheet with the first and second portions of the sheet extending on right and left sides, respectively, of the bouquet. The first sheet portion is then moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet, and the second sheet portion is moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet and to extend over part of the first sheet portion. The two sheet portions may be secured together by a bonding material, or the first and second portions of the sheet of wrapping material can themselves act as a bonding material by application of appropriate heat sealing, sonic welding, vibratory welding, and similar methods. A stiff wrap ring form may be positioned suspended over the sheet of material, and the bouquet inserted in the wrap ring form. The stem portion of the bouquet may be tightly wrapped by a separate wrapping operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to wrapping floralgroupings, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to amethod and apparatus for wrapping a bouquet of botanical itemsautomatically.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0003] Wrapping floral groupings, such as bouquets, is an old art. Thewrapping protects the floral grouping, maintains the floral grouping ina relatively high moisture environment, makes the floral grouping moreattractive, and protects the person giving or receiving the floralgrouping by shielding the person or their clothing from excess moisture,color or pollen transfer, and damage from thorns and the like. However,in the past, the wrapping of floral groupings to form, for example, abouquet has been done manually. A florist would select or cut a sheet ofwrapping material, place the floral grouping with the stems toward onecorner, bring the two corners adjacent the stem corner together in anoverlapping fashion, and then secure, or not, as desired, theoverlapping portions of the sheet of material together.

[0004] There are many disadvantages to manually preparing wrapped floralgroupings. The manual process is very time consuming, thereby addingexpense to the final product. The resulting wrapped floral grouping mayvary considerably in aesthetic value, depending upon the skill andexperience of the person doing the wrapping. Even experienced wrappersmay not wrap the floral grouping with the proper shape and size, so thatthe floral grouping may not be secure within the wrapping. Additionally,while the main part of the floral grouping may be adequately wrapped andprotected, the stem area of the wrapping does not wrap the stems tightenough and may allow the stems to protrude through the stem end of thewrapping which makes the floral presentation unsightly and, again, caninjure a person or damage a person's clothing. Even after a successfulor adequate manual wrap, problems arise in attempting to band the wrapor otherwise affix the wrap upon itself. Handling the unbanded orunfastened wrap is awkward and may require two people, one to hold thewrap in place and the other to band or fasten the overlapping corners ofthe wrap.

[0005] There is therefore a clear need in the art for a method andapparatus for automatically wrapping floral groupings which providesconsistent wrapping of proper shape and size and which can, optionally,prepare a tight wrap of the stem portion of the floral grouping, and/orband or fasten the wrapping, resulting in an aesthetically pleasingfloral presentation absent all of the disadvantages resulting from theaforementioned manual wrapping method. The present invention fulfillsthat need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Definitions

[0007] The material which comprises the sheet of material S ispreferably selected from the group of materials consisting of: man-madeorganic polymer films; fibers or fabric (woven or non-woven, syntheticor natural); metallic and non-metallic foils; paper (coated or uncoated,treated or untreated); cellulose (including cellophane); leather;burlap; “dead fold” or semi-rigid sheet materials including, but notlimited to, “dead-fold” plastic sheets, wire laminated flexible sheetmaterial, waxed sheet material, starched or sugared sheet material; andlaminates; or combinations thereof. The sheet of material S used withthe bouquet wrapping apparatus may employ materials having adhesives orcohesives on both sides of the sheet S, an adhesive on one side and acohesive on the other side or a cohesive or adhesive on only one side ofthe sheet S with no adhesive or cohesive on the other side of the sheetS. The sheet S may be a heat sealable material which can be sealed withheat devices. The sheet S may be a weldable film which can be weldedwith heat or welded sonically or with a vibratory welding means.

[0008] “Floral grouping”, as used herein, means cut fresh flowers,artificial flowers, a single flower, other fresh and/or artificialplants or other floral materials, and may include other secondary plantsand/or ornamentation which add to the aesthetics of the overall floralgrouping. The floral grouping has a stem and a bloom end.

[0009] The term “botanical item”, as used herein, means a natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination.The term “botanical item” also means any portion or portions of naturalor artificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves,flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or incombination, or in groupings of such portions such as bouquets or floralgroupings.

[0010] For convenience, the term “bouquet” will be used hereinafter tosubstitute for the term “floral grouping”. Therefore, when the term“bouquet” is used, what is meant is “floral grouping” as defined above.

[0011] The term “bonding material” as used herein includes adhesives,preferably pressure sensitive adhesives, or cohesives. Where the bondingmaterial is a cohesive, a compatible cohesive material must be placed onthe adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondingly engagingwith the first-mentioned cohesive material. The term “bonding material”also includes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance,the adjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact andthen heat must be applied, or generated, to effect the seal. The term“bonding material” as used herein also means a heat sealing lacquerwhich may be applied to the sheet of material and, in this instance,heat also must be applied, or generated, to effect the sealing. The term“bonding material” as used herein means any type of material or thingwhich can be used to effect the bonding or connecting of the twoadjacent portions of the material or sheet of material to effect theconnection or bonding described herein. The term “bonding material” alsoincludes labels, bands, ribbons, strings, tape, staples or combinationsthereof.

[0012] Discussion

[0013] The present invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantagesof manually wrapping bouquets, as is done in the prior art, by providinga method and apparatus for automatically wrapping a sheet of materialabout a bouquet. A sheet of material having spaced apart defined firstand second portions is placed against a support member, such as aprepared table top, and the bouquet is positioned on the sheet with thefirst and second portions of the sheet extending on right and leftsides, respectively, of the bouquet. The first sheet portion is thenmoved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet, and thesecond sheet portion is moved in a path to at least partially encompassthe bouquet and to extend over part of the first sheet portion. Suchautomatic operation insures proper size and shape for the wrappingmaterial and also assures consistency from one bouquet to another.

[0014] In another aspect of the invention, the two sheet portions aresecured together by a bonding material, or the first and second portionsof the sheet of wrapping material can themselves act as a bondingmaterial by application of appropriate heat sealing, sonic welding,vibratory welding, and similar methods. Alternatively, or additionally,the wrapped bouquet may be elastically or nonelastically banded.

[0015] In another aspect of the invention, the stem portion of thebouquet is tightly wrapped by a separate wrapping operation.

[0016] In yet a further aspect of the invention, a member defining awrap ring form may be positioned suspended over the sheet of material,and the bouquet inserted in the wrap ring form. The wrapping process isthen performed, and the wrap ring form provides a stiff bouquetencompassing structure about which the sheet of material can be wrappedfor improved consistency of shape and size of the finished wrappedproduct. This is due to the ability of the stiff wrap ring form toaccommodate the necessary tension forces applied to the sheet by thewrapping machine, especially at the end of the wrap cycle. Such forcesmight otherwise crush the bouquet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The invention will now be described having reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bouquet wrap machine according to thepresent invention;

[0019]FIG. 1A shows a partial cross sectional view of the pinch clampfor holding and manipulating one corner of the sheet of wrappingmaterial;

[0020]FIG. 1B is a left elevation view of the pinch clamp shown in FIG.1A;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a side elevation view taken along the lines 2-2 in FIG.1 showing the components of the right hand wrap unit assembly;

[0022]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view taken along the lines 3-3 in FIG.1 and showing the components of the left hand wrap unit assembly;

[0023]FIG. 3A is a partial right end view of the left hand wrap unitassembly of FIG. 3.

[0024]FIG. 4 is an end view of the wrap ring member, in both open andclosed positions, taken along the lines 4-4 in FIG. 1, with some partsremoved so as not to obscure the wrapping function;

[0025]FIG. 5 is a right elevation view of the wrap ring member shown inFIG. 1;

[0026]FIG. 6 is a plan view, in partial cross section, of the bouquetstem wrapping unit;

[0027]FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the stem wrapping unit;

[0028]FIG. 8 is an end elevation view of the stem wrapping unit takenalong the lines 8-8 in FIG. 1;

[0029]FIG. 9A is a side elevation view of the slide assembly shown inphantom in FIG. 1; and

[0030]FIG. 9B is a bottom plan view of the slide assembly shown in FIG.9A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bouquet wrapping apparatus showing aportion of a supporting surface or machine top 53 which is mounted on amachine frame (not shown), and various subassemblies of the apparatusthat are mounted on the machine top 53.

[0032] A right hand wrap unit assembly 1 is generally positioned andoperable from the right hand side of the bouquet to be wrapped. A sheetof wrapping material S of preselected size is positioned and clamped tomachine top 53 adjacent each of the four corners of the sheet. In FIG.1, a portion of the sheet S and a portion of the machine top 53 areremoved so as to be able to view some of the components of the righthand wrap unit assembly 1 which, in its initial position, lies below thelevel of top surface of machine top 53.

[0033] A left hand wrap unit assembly 2 is shown in phantom lines inFIG. 1 to be positioned below the sheet S and, in its initial position,also at a level below the top surface of machine top 53, as is theinitial position of the right hand unit 1. An elongated slat 53 b isprovided in machine top 53 to permit left hand wrap unit assembly 2 tomove therethrough and manipulate corner S2 of the sheet S.

[0034] A stem wrapper unit assembly 3 is positioned adjacent the stemend of a bouquet to be wrapped, and a fixed clamp assembly 4 functionsto clamp the corner S4 in position as shown in the upper right handcorner of the sheet S in FIG. 1.

[0035] A wrap ring form assembly 5, available in different sizesdepending upon the size of bouquet to be wrapped, is positioned adjacentthe corner S4 of sheet S, the wrap ring 50 being shown in the closedposition in FIG. 1.

[0036] A slide assembly 23, also shown in phantom in FIG. 1, is mountedbeneath the machine top 53 and serves the function of moving the righthand unit 1 away from the wrapped bouquet at the end of the wrappingcycle.

[0037] The bouquet wrap apparatus of FIG. 1 is a self contained machinefor use with a preselected size sheet S of plastic film, clear orcolored, painted or unpainted, printed or unprinted. The sheets S may bepre-cut sheets, or automatically dispensed from a roll dispenser whichfeeds a sheet of desired size to the proper working position on themachine top 53.

[0038] The basic operation of the apparatus is as follows. The sheet Sis held down at or adjacent each corner by a hold down mechanism foreach corner, yet to be described in detail. It is sufficient at thispoint in the description to simply indicate that the four corners ofsheet S are held or clamped by pinch clamp 11 on corner S1, vacuum cup29 at corner S2, pinch clamp 40 at corner S3, and fixed clamp plunger 48at corner S4. The wrap ring support member 50 of the wrap ring assembly5 then opens, as best seen by the phantom lines in FIG. 4, to accept abundled bouquet with the stems of the bouquet directed to the corner S3of the sheet S, and with the stems confined within a U-shaped stemholder 44. The bloom end of the bouquet is positioned within the wrapring support member 50.

[0039] With the sheet clamped at all four corners and the wrap ringsupport member 50 closed, the right hand wrap unit assembly 1 rises topull corner S1 of the sheet of material up and around the bouquet to aposition greater than 180° about the periphery of the bouquet, with thepinch clamp 11 coming to rest adjacent the periphery of the wrap ringsupport member 50 and toward the rear of the machine top 53. Thiscompletes the first part of the wrap cycle.

[0040] At, after, or before completion of the first part of the wrapcycle, the left hand wrap unit assembly 2 carries the corner S2 of thesheet of material up and about the bouquet to be wrapped and comes torest with the suction cup 29 adjacent the periphery of wrap ring supportmember 50 toward the front of machine top 53. This second part of thewrap cycle obviously causes the corner S2 to overlap the sheet ofmaterial by a substantial amount so that the portion of material betweenthe outer surface of the sheet adjacent corner S1 and the inner surfaceof the sheet adjacent corner S2 is sufficient to provide a largeoverlapping contact area and, if desired, adequate adhesion orcoadhesion between the two facing surfaces. The left hand wrap unitassembly 2 manipulates the corner S2 in a path so as to first overlapthe sheet adjacent corner S1, but spaced therefrom, and then makecontact between the overlapping sheet portions.

[0041] After completion of the second part of the wrap cycle by lefthand wrap unit assembly 2, the stem wrap unit assembly 3 operates totightly wrap the corner S3 of the sheet of material tightly about thestem portion of the bouquet.

[0042] After adhesion, coadhesion, heat sealing, sonic sealing,vibratory sealing, elastic banding, nonelastic banding, or the like tokeep the wrapped bouquet secure, all sheet clamps are released, wrapring support member 50 is opened, slide unit 23 operates to push theright hand wrap unit assembly 1 away from machine top 53, and both rightand left hand wrap unit assemblies 1 and 2 retract to beneath machinetop 53. The operator then removes the wrapped bouquet, stems first, fromthe U-shaped stem holder 44, completing the cycle.

[0043] The operation of the right hand wrap unit assembly 1 will now bedescribed in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 1A, 1B, and 2. A C-shapedrocker arm 6 having an H-shaped cross section is confined to move alongthe periphery of a circular path the center of which is the center of animaginary circle having a segment of its periphery defining the C-shapeof the rocker arm 6. In its initial position, rocker arm 6 is locatedbeneath machine top 53 as shown by solid lines in FIG. 2. The ends 6 band 6 c of rocker arm 6 are cut at an angle so as to not interfere withthe sheet of material positioned on machine top 53. A pair of rollers 6d and 6 e confine the movement of rocker arm 6 to the aforementionedcircular path by rolling against the circular outer periphery 6 f andthe circular inner surface 6 a, respectively. Aiding in confining therocker arm 6 to its circular path are a number of rocker support clips22 each having a tab (not shown) which slidably fits within one of theedge slots on either side of the rocker arm 6, the slots defined by theH-shaped cross section of rocker arm 6.

[0044] A right hand unit angle mount 21 supports the entire mechanism ofright hand wrap unit assembly 1. Angle mount 21 mounts the operationalparts of right hand wrap unit assembly 1 on its vertically orientedportion, and the horizontal portion of angle mount 21 is securelyaffixed to the end of slide 27, so that right hand wrap unit assembly 1can be moved to the right (in FIG. 1) after completion of the wrapcycle.

[0045] Fixed to the angle mount 21 is a pivot pin 18 a about whichrocker cylinder pivot standoff 18 is positioned to locate rockercylinder 55 spaced from other components of right hand wrap unitassembly 1 and permit rocker cylinder 55 to pivot about pin 18 a. Rockercylinder 55 is shown as a pneumatic or hydraulic piston cylinder whichreciprocates a piston shaft 55 a having its distal end pivoted aboutpivot pin 17 a and spaced from rocker arm 6 by a rocker arm standoff 17.Pivot pin 17 a is fixed to the far right hand end of rocker arm 6 asshown in FIG. 2. Operation of rocker cylinder 55 causes shaft 55 a toeither pull or push against pivot pin 17 a and effect the movement ofrocker arm 6 along the aforementioned circular path. In the fully closedposition of piston shaft 55 a, rocker arm 6 will have the position shownby dashed lines in FIG. 2.

[0046] For ease in discussing the operation of the various activeelements of the invention, the term “cylinder” as used hereinafter willrefer to a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder or any other mechanism whichis capable of applying reciprocal motion to an object. Each of thesetypes of elements are depicted in the drawings as pneumatic cylinders.

[0047] Before operation of cylinder 55 to raise the right hand wrap unitassembly 1, the corner S1 of sheet S is clamped by a pinch clamp 11, thedetails of which are best seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The side view of thepinch clamp 11 in FIG. 1A shows a right hand clamp arm 10 affixed toright hand cushion cylinder head 9 (see FIG. 1) which, in turn, is fixedto the end of piston shaft 56 a and cushion cylinder slide rods 16. Theend of pinch clamp 11 is flattened to form an upper jaw 11 c. The freeend of clamp arm 10 is narrowed and flattened to form a lower jaw 10 cof the pinch clamp 11. A slot 10 a near the end of clamp arm 10 permitsthe vertically oriented thinned portion of pinch clamp 11 to move withinslot 10 a (FIG. 1B). Pinch clamp 11 itself is pivoted about pin 11 afixed to clamp arm 10 and has a slot 11 b angled with respect to acooperating slot 10 b in clamp arm 10. A pin 12 a passes through slots10 b and 11 b and is fixed to each side of a U-shaped clamp actuator 12.A tab 12 b of actuator 12 is reciprocated by action of a clamp cylinder62. As tab 12 b is reciprocated, actuator 12 reciprocates and causes thejaws 10 c and 11 c to open and close depending upon whether the movementof actuator 12 is to the right or left in FIG. 1A. In the open positionof clamp 11, a sheet S can be moved into its predetermined position forclamping, and at the beginning of the wrap cycle, cylinder 62 operatesto close jaws 10 c and 11 c to clamp the corner S1 of the sheet ofmaterial therebetween.

[0048] With the material clamped by pinch clamp 11, cylinder 55 isoperated to retract piston 55 a into cylinder 55. This pulls pin 17 a tothe left in FIG. 2 and moves rocker arm 6 in a circular path aspreviously described.

[0049] Near the left end of rocker arm 6 a pivot pin 8 a passes througha swing gear guard 14, a pinion gear 8, and a solid angle piece referredto hereinafter as a swing block 7, all of such components being fixed torocker arm 6 by the pivot pin or screw 8 a. A right hand swing cylinder57 is fixed to the approximate center of rocker arm 6 by screws 57 a andcarries a rack 20 at the end of the piston shaft 57 b. The rack 20 has asystem of teeth which mesh with and cooperate with the teeth of piniongear 8 affixed or keyed to swing block 7, such that movement of thepiston shaft 57 b effects rotation of pinion gear 8 by the reciprocalmotion of rack 20 at the appropriate times in the wrap cycle. Thus, whencylinder 55 retracts piston shaft 55 a, pivot pin or screw 8 a begins torise in the path illustrated in FIG. 2, resulting in a swinging movementof the elements connected to rocker arm 6, including cylinder 56 and, inturn, right hand clamp arm 10 with the corner S1 of the sheet materialbeing clamped thereto.

[0050] At the beginning of the operation of right hand wrap unitassembly 1, cylinder 57 is not activated and has its piston 57 b fullyretracted. This permits right hand cushion cylinder 56 to lie relativelyflat beneath the machine top 53 and extending to the left in FIG. 2. Ascylinder 55 retracts piston 55 a, swing block 7 which supports cushioncylinder 56 moves upwardly as rocker arm 6 follows its circular path.

[0051] At a prescribed position of the rocker arm 6, swing cylinder 57begins to force piston 57 b outwardly rotating pinion gear 8, by theaction of rack 20, in a clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 2. Sincepinion gear 8 is fixed or keyed to swing block 7, right hand cushioncylinder 56 rotates clockwise as well, pivoting about pin or screw 8 a.In this manner, the corner S1 of the sheet of material is first broughtupwardly and then the sheet begins to wrap about the bouquet with theinterior portion of the sheet forming around wrap ring support member50.

[0052] This contact of the sheet of material with support member 50, ineffect, limits the upward movement of the sheet of material so that thediameter of the swing of wrap unit assembly 1 must necessarily bereduced; otherwise, the corner S1 would slip out of pinch clamp 11, orit would tear. This is accomplished by the operation of cylinders 56 and57, the former causing the radius of the swing movement to directlydecrease as a result of the retraction of piston 56 a into cushioncylinder 56 and telescopic retraction of cushion cylinder slide rods 16within cushion cylinder fixed rods 15. Telescoping rods 15, 16 providestrength and stability to the operation of cushion cylinder 56.Operation of cylinder 57 brings the right hand clamp arm 10 down intoposition against the far side of wrap ring support member 50, i.e. to aposition greater than 180° about the periphery of the bouquet, tocomplete the first part of the wrap cycle.

[0053] Toward the end of the first part of the wrap cycle, or aftercompletion thereof, as desired, the left hand wrap unit assembly beginsto function (see FIG. 3).

[0054] At the start of the next part of the wrap cycle, the left handwrap unit assembly 2 is entirely located beneath the machine top 53.Pneumatic cylinders 58, 59, and 60 are in their retracted positions, andsuction cup 29 is located substantially level with the top of machinetop 53.

[0055] The left hand wrap unit assembly 2 is comprised primarily of apair of C-shaped swing arms, a main swing arm 30 and a secondary swingarm which has a stub portion 31 extending to a cushion arm 32 having thevacuum cup 29 attached to the free end thereof. Secondary swing arm stubportion 31 is pivotally attached to cushion arm 32 by a pivot member 31a, and relative pivotal movement between these two members is effectedby the operation of cushion cylinder 60.

[0056]FIG. 3a shows the end of cushion arm 32 having a conical shapedroller 34 rotatable about a roller mount screw 35 on one side thereof,and a vacuum cup holder 33 with vacuum cup 29 positioned on the oppositeside. A vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to vacuum cup 29 after thesheet of material S is in position on machine top 53 and the wrappingprocedure is ready to begin. In operation, a vacuum is applied to vacuumcup 29 to hold the corner S2 of the sheet of material in place evenbefore the actuation of the right hand wrap unit assembly 1.

[0057] At the appropriate time in the wrapping sequence, cylinder 58 isactuated to extend its cylinder and the rack 58 a attached thereto.Cylinder 58, by screws 58 d, is mounted to left hand swing arm mountingbracket 53 b which is attached to the bottom of machine top 53. As rack58 a moves outwardly from cylinder 58, a pinion gear 58 b fixed or keyedto the left end of main swing arm 30 begins to rotate about its shaft 58c. This causes the entire left hand wrap unit assembly 2 to beginswinging upwardly about the pivot member 58 c, resulting in the vacuumcup 29 carrying corner S2 of the sheet of material up and about thebouquet to be wrapped.

[0058] It will be appreciated that the inner surface of the corner S2 ofthe sheet of material may have an adhesive or coadhesive which willadhere to the outer surface of the corner S1 of the sheet of material inthe overlapping area of the final configuration. Accordingly, it is notadvisable to drag the material across previously wrapped material, sincepremature attachment of the overlapping portions of the material wouldoccur. Positioning the main and secondary swing arms 30, 31, 32 so as tohave the fullest extent possible keeps the corner S2, and the adjacentportion of the sheet material, well away from the previously wrappedportion.

[0059] As the left hand wrap unit assembly 2 rises and brings corner S2over the previously wrapped portion of the bouquet, at a prescribedposition cylinder 59, mounted to the main swing arm 30 by screws 59 b,begins to push rack 59 a outwardly. As it does, pinion gear 59 b, fixedor keyed to the left end of secondary swing arm stub portion 31, beginsto rotate about shaft 59 c. This reduces the diameter of the swing armmovement and begins to bring the corner S2 of the sheet of materialcloser to the partially wrapped bouquet, such action providing the samebenefits as that previously described in connection with theradius-reducing action of the right hand wrap unit assembly 1. In theinstant case, however, an additional feature is provided in the form ofconical roller 34 which is shaped and positioned to meet with and rollagainst the conforming conical surface of wrap ring support member 50near the completion of the wrap cycle.

[0060] Just before the completion of the wrap cycle, cylinder 60 extendsto move the free end of cushion arm 32 closer to support member 50 sothat roller 34 can positively and firmly roll against support member 50.Also, the last movement of the free end of cushion arm 32 brings thesheet of material into intimate contact with the previously partiallywrapped bouquet so that the two portions of the overlapping sheet ofmaterial can be adhered to one another without dragging the materialacross itself at the end of the wrapping procedure.

[0061]FIGS. 4 and 5 will now be described, these figures showing thewrap ring assembly 5 in more detail. FIG. 4 is a view taken along thelines 4-4 in FIG. 1 except that some components have been removed fromwhat actually would be viewed from that location so as not to obstructthe operation of the wrapping cylinder actuator 70 which is best seen inFIG. 4.

[0062] As previously indicated, at the beginning of the first portion ofthe wrap cycle, the wrap ring support member 50 opens up to allow abouquet to be inserted with the bloom end oriented toward the wrap ringsupport member 50. Wrap ring support member 50 comprises two halves 50 aand 50 b, the bottoms of which are connected to a wrap ring linkage 51by hinges 73. Also mounted on wrap ring linkage 51 is the cylinderportion of a wrap ring cylinder 66 having a cylinder piston shaft 69reciprocating within wrap ring cylinder 66. Mounted to the end of pistonshaft 69 is an elongated pivot rod 74 which provides a pivot axis forthe two links 71 which have their upper ends pivoted to a common pivotaxis at pivot rod 74 and their lower ends separately pivotable aboutpivot pins 75 at the upper ends of a pair of standoffs 72 welded orotherwise fixed to the respective wrap ring support member halves 50 aand 50 b.

[0063] As can be seen in FIG. 4, the solid lines show the wrap ringsupport member 50 in a closed position due to the fact that the wrapring cylinder piston shaft 69 is fully extended from wrap ring cylinder66. When cylinder piston shaft 69 is retracted into wrap ring cylinder66, pivot rod 74 is moved downwardly, and ultimately standoffs 72 assumea substantially vertical position as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 4. Inthis condition, the wrap ring support member 50 is in its fully openposition. Also shown in dashed lines in FIG. 4 is the position of thetwo wrap ring support member halves 50 a and 50 b in the fully openposition.

[0064] Below machine top 53 is a ring pin receiver 49 upon which ismounted a number of electrical microswitches 76 a-76 d. Each microswitchis operated by the pushing of an associated switch button 77 a-77 d oneach microswitch.

[0065] A wrap ring pin 52 is fixed to the wrap ring linkage 51 and has alength which is predetermined by the size of the wrap ring supportmember 50. That is, the invention is able to accommodate a variety ofsizes of bouquets to be wrapped, and for each size wrap, in order toobtain the optimum wrapping for a pleasing appearance and security, thewrap ring support member 50 must be a different size as well. By way orexample, and without limitation, the wrap ring support member 50 mayaccommodate bouquets having a bloom diameter of 4″, 5″, 6″ and 8″. For a4″ bouquet, the wrap ring pin 52 would be of a length sufficient to onlyoperate button 77 a on microswitch 76 a. This sets the electricalcircuit which operates the left hand and right hand wrap unit assemblies1 and 2 so as to establish the required path and timing and tomanipulate the sheet of material S in an optimum manner to produce asecure and pleasing wrapped bouquet product. The effects of operatingone or more of microswitches 76 a-76 d will be explained later.

[0066] When wrap ring assembly 5 is removed and another sized wrap ringassembly is to be substituted, lock-down screw 51 a is loosened, wrapring linkage 51 is grasped, and the assembly 5 is raised withdrawing pin52 from sleeve 49 a. The replacement assembly 5 is then installed byinserting its pin 52 into sleeve 49 a and tightening screw 51 a. In theembodiment illustrated, if the replacement assembly 5 is for wrapping a5″ bouquet, the pin 52 would be of a length to operate microswitches 76a and 76 b. For a 6″ bouquet, microswitches 76 a-76 c are operated, andfor an 8″ bouquet, all microswitches 76 a-76 d are operated. Anappropriate circuit (not shown) is responsive to the four differentelectrical responses to set up the required path and timing which areoptimum for the different sized bouquets to be wrapped.

[0067] As can be appreciated by reference to FIG. 5, the wrap ringsupport member 50 is supported suspended above the machine top 53 topermit a sheet of material S to slide between wrap ring linkage 51 andthe top surface of machine top 53. Wrap ring linkage 51 is rigidly heldin the suspended position by means of a manual lock-down screw 51 awhich is screwed into machine top 53 until wrap ring linkage 51 isclamped securely against a spacer washer 51 b which surrounds pin 52.Wrap ring pin 52 is further secured into cooperative relationship withswitch buttons 77 a-77 d by means of sleeve 49 a which has an insidediameter just slightly larger than the outside diameter of pin 52.Sleeve 49 a is also secured to the machine top 53.

[0068]FIG. 5 also best shows the operation of the sheet clamp 4 whichcomprises a fixed clamp cylinder 61 screwed into a fixed clamp cylindermount 47 attached to the bottom of machine top 53. An opening 53 a isprovided in the machine top 53 so as to permit piston plunger 48 of thefixed clamp 4 to reciprocate within cylinder 61. Upon extension of thepiston plunger 48 upwardly (in FIG. 5), the sheet of material will beclamped against the bottom of wrap ring linkage 51 to hold the sheet ofmaterial in place during the entire wrapping operation. Cylinder 61 isde-energized at the conclusion of the wrap cycle so that the completelywrapped bouquet can be easily removed from the assembly.

[0069] FIGS. 6-8 show the operation of the stem wrapper unit assembly 3.FIG. 6 is the view from the top of the apparatus, FIG. 7 is a sideelevation view, and FIG. 8 is an end view as would be seen by the stemportion of the bouquet to be wrapped. Basically, the stem wrapper unitassembly 3 comprises a motor 68 (turning at 154 RPM) driving a gearassembly 46, 37 which rotates a half cylinder shaped stem wrapper 36,and a moving pinch clamp assembly 40 which extends within the center ofwrapper 36.

[0070] Before the beginning of the wrap cycle, moving pinch clampassembly 40 is retracted to the left as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7by the action of wrapper clamp slide cylinder 64 pushing its piston 64 aout of the cylinder 64. Also, wrapper clamp cylinder 63 has its piston63 a retracted as shown in solid lines in FIG. 7, which pulls to theleft the tab of a wrapper clamp actuator 43, thereby opening the jaws ofpinch clamp 40. The operation of cylinder 63 and moving pinch clampassembly 40 is very similar to that described in connection with FIG. 1where the operation of cylinder 62 was detailed. Accordingly, noadditional operating functions are necessary to be explained at thisjuncture except to indicate that the cylinder 63 is mounted to a wrapperclamp cylinder mount 41 which, itself, reciprocates axially of wrapper36 by the action of wrapper clamp slide cylinder 64. Accordingly,cylinder 64 operates to move the entire pinch clamp assembly 40 towardand away from the edge of the sheet S, while cylinder 63 operates toclose and open the jaws of pinch clamp 40.

[0071] Thus, before the wrap cycle begins, cylinder 64 has its pistonshaft 64 a extended to move the wrapper clamp cylinder mount 41 to theleft (in FIG. 7), and cylinder 63 has its piston shaft 63 a withdrawn soas to pull wrapper clamp actuator 43 to the left, opening the jaws ofpinch clamp 40. After a sheet of material S is placed on machine top 53and the corner S3 is slipped over the edges of wrapper 36, cylinder 64is actuated to move the wrapper clamp arm 42 and wrapper clamp cylindermount 41 to the right, resulting in the pinch clamp 40 positioned withits opened jaws receiving corner S3 of the sheet of material.Subsequently, cylinder 63 is actuated to extend its piston shaft 63 a tocause wrapper clamp actuator 43 to close the jaws of pinch clamp 40 andclamp the corner S3 of the sheet of material in place.

[0072]FIG. 8 shows an optional stem wrapper safety cover 45 which ishinged at 45 a by any manner of hinging to machine top 53. In this way,the operation of the stem wrapping unit 3 can be completed withoutexposure of the rotating cylinder wrapper 36 which could be a threat tothe safety of the operator.

[0073] After the sheet of material S is deposited on the surface ofmachine top 53, the jaws of pinch clamp 40 clamp the corner S3 intoposition, the wrap ring support member 50 opens and the bouquet offlowers to be wrapped is placed on the top of sheet S with the stemscontained within the U-shaped stem holder 44. The cover 45 is thenclosed, and the operator initiates the wrapping cycle. At theappropriate point in the wrapping cycle, gear assembly 46 rotateswrapper gear 37 to, in turn, rotate the cylindrical-shaped wrapper 36 inthe direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 8.

[0074] In FIG. 8, the position of wrapper 36 is shown in the orientationjust prior to the wrapping operation. After the first and second halvesof the wrapping cycle are completed by the left hand and right hand wrapunit assemblies 1 and 2, or just prior to such completion, cylinder 36beings to rotate counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 8.

[0075] A relatively strong leaf spring 78 is mounted at one of its endsby leaf spring mount 79 to the inside surface of wrapper 36. Leaf spring78 is pretensioned to apply a force upwardly at its left free end asshown in FIG. 8. Leaf spring 78, however, is prevented from having itsleft end move upwardly by the provision of a stop 80 also mounted to theinside surface of wrapper 36 diametrically opposite spring mount 79.This construction permits the leaf spring 78 to be pushed in acounterclockwise direction when the force against it, during thewrapping operation, exceeds its spring force tending to push it againststop 80.

[0076] When the stems of the bouquet to be wrapped are placed inU-shaped stem holder 44, the stems at the bottom of the bouquet restagainst the top surface of leaf spring 78, since the bottom of theU-shaped stem holder 44 is located beneath leaf spring 78. At theappropriate time, near or after the sheet of material S is wrappedaround the bouquet, motor 68 begins to rotate to, in turn, rotate stemwrapper 36 in a counterclockwise direction. With the stems of thebouquet captured between the walls of U-shaped stem holder 44, leafspring 78 applies a strong spring force against the sheet of material topress it tightly against the stem portion of the bouquet. Since thebouquet itself is being held stationary, and since the sheet of materialhas been fully wrapped around the bouquet, stem wrapper 36 adds securityto the wrapped bouquet by pressing the wrapping tightly against the stemportion of the bouquet. If the portion of the sheet of material has anadhesive coating on it at the location of wrapper 36, the leaf spring 78will create overlapping folds which maintain their pressed condition dueto the adhesive and to the applied pressure by leaf spring 78 as wrapper36 rotates about the stem portion of the bouquet.

[0077] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stem wrapper 36rotates two times about the stem portion of the bouquet and comes to astop in the same position as its starting position to allow the bouquetto be easily removed from the apparatus by raising the stem wrappercover 45 and simply removing the bouquet by an upward movement, stemsfirst. Of course, by this time, i.e. after completion of the number ofturns that wrapper 36 makes, cylinder 63 retracts its piston shaft 63 a,and cylinder 64 extends its piston shaft 64 a to release the sheet ofmaterial from moving clamp jaws 40. Before or after removal of thebouquet from the apparatus, the wrap may be maintained about the bouquetor floral grouping using an elastic or nonelastic band, a decorativetie, adhesives and cohesives, ribbons, ribbons with adhesive, bows,stickers which can be decorative and/or informative or simply plain,tapes, heat sealing, sonic sealing and welding, wire ties, tie wraps,curl film, dead-fold plastic ties, dead-fold wrapping material in partor in whole, or other banding and/or bonding material.

[0078] Prior to removal of the completely wrapped bouquet, the left andright hand wrap unit assemblies 1 and 2 will still be in the vicinity ofthe wrap ring support member 50 with corners S1 and S2 still being heldby jaws 11 and suction cup 29.

[0079] Suction cup 29 can be easily released by simply relieving thenegative pressure applied to suction cup 29 and retracting the left handwrap unit assembly in the reverse order of operating cylinders 58, 59,and 60 described. However, the jaws 11 of the right hand wrap unitassembly, even though released, may still interfere with the sheet ofmaterial if the sheet material is much larger than the bouquet beingwrapped leaving a large skirt portion extending beyond the wrap ringsupport member 50. To prevent interference of the right hand wrap unitassembly with the sheet of material of the wrapped bouquet at thecompletion of the wrapping cycle, a slide subassembly 23 is provided.This assembly is screw mounted to the bottom side of the machine top 53and is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1 as it would be viewed from thetop of the apparatus, is shown from the side in FIG. 9A, and is shownfrom the bottom as in FIG. 9B.

[0080] The slide subassembly 23 basically comprises a slide member 27,similar to that of a furniture drawer slide, and an actuator. The slidemember 27 itself is comprised of a U-shaped outer channel member 27 aand a U-shaped inner channel member 27 b which slides within the outerchannel 27 a in a manner known in the furniture art. Appropriatebearings (not shown) may be provided to assist in reducing the frictionin the extension and retraction directions of the slide movement.

[0081] In the instant case, the outer slide member 27 a is fixed andmounted to the underside of machine top 53 by slide mount spacers 26,slide mounts (forward and rear) 28, and bolts and nut combinations 28 a.

[0082] At the free end of the moveable slide member 27 b, a slidecylinder rod mount 24 is rigidly mounted by means of a bolt 24 a passingthrough a hole in right hand unit angle mount 21 and through a moveableslide member spacer 25. For security, a second bolt 24 b is shown tosecure right hand unit angle mount 21 to the distal end of moveableslide member 27 b.

[0083] The entire slide assembly 27 is mounted at an angle to thelongitudinal direction of right hand unit angle mount 21, the anglebeing chosen to move the clamp 11 away from the wrapped bouquet andalong a line which would pass through the location of pinch clamp 11 andwould lie against the surface of the wrapped conical-shaped bouquet.Since clamp 11 comes to rest at the end of the wrapped cycle on the farside of wrap ring support member 50, the direction of movement of theentire right hand wrap unit assembly by the action of slide 27 issubstantially in line with the material lying on the far side of thebouquet.

[0084] Also mounted to the bottom of machine top 53, and takingadvantage of the mounting screws already provided for fixing the fixedslide member 27 a to the bottom of machine top 53, is a slide cylinder65. Cylinder 65 actuates a piston 65 a which has its operating endattached to slide cylinder rod mount 24. It can be appreciated that allof the elements of the right hand wrap unit assembly 1 are mounted onright hand unit angle mount 21 which is rigidly mounted to the end ofmoveable slide member 27 b. Therefore, as piston 65 a moves out of andinto cylinder 65, the entire right hand wrap unit assembly 1 moves awayand toward the machine top 53. As with all of the other elements whichmove during the wrapping process, the timing of the slide movement iselectronically controlled to be effective at the appropriate time in thewrap cycle.

[0085] The timing of the complete wrap cycle will now be described. Itshould be appreciated that, prior to the start of the operation, theappropriate sized wrap ring support member 50 will have been chosen soas to select the appropriate number of microswitches 76 a-76 d that willbe activated by pin 52 which thereby sets the proper electricalparameters and timing for the ensuing operations.

[0086] First, a preselected sized sheet of plastic film, clear orcolored, painted or unpainted, printed or unprinted, adhesive coated ornot, is selected from a stack of pre-cut sheets or automated with adispenser which feeds a sheet from a roll to the proper working positionon the machine top 53. With the sheet in place, an operator pushes astart button (not shown). The sheet of material S is then clamped at allfour corners S1-S4 by extending and closing pitch clamp 11 at corner S1,by applying negative pressure to the suction cup 29 at corner S2, bymovement of pinch clamp assembly 40 toward the sheet of material andthen clamping the material at corner S3, and by actuating cylinder 61 tocause plunger 48 to press corner S4 against the bottom of wrap ringlinkage 51. At substantially the same time, cylinder 66 retracts to openwrap ring support member 50 so as to be able to receive a bouquet offlowers. Thus, with the appropriate sized wrap ring support member 50 inplace, the stem wrapper cover 45 is opened and a bouquet is placed withthe flowers in the wrap ring 50 and the stems in the stem holder 44 instem wrapper unit assembly 3.

[0087] The operator then closes cover 45 over the stems and pushesanother button (not shown) to start the wrapping cycle.

[0088] The wrap ring assembly 5 closes by the extension of cylinder 66and the right hand wrap unit assembly 1 carries the right hand side ofthe film sheet to wrap around the bouquet and wrap ring support member50 from right to left. Then, the left hand wrap unit assembly 2 carriesthe left side of the film sheet to wrap from left to right, and finallythe stem wrap unit 3 tightens the wrapping of the stems of the bouquet.At the conclusion of the wrap cycle, the corner clamps are released inthe manner previously described, slide subassembly 23 slides right handwrap unit assembly 1 away from the wrapped bouquet, the right and lefthand wrap unit assemblies 1, 2 retract to their initial position, andthe operator lifts cover 45 and removes the wrapped bouquet, stemsfirst, by pulling the wrapped stem portion away from wrap ring supportmember 50, thereby pulling the bloom end of the wrapped bouquet throughthe closed wrap ring support member 50 with the sheet of material Ssliding by the outer periphery of support member 50, completing thecycle.

[0089] Preferably, after clamping the sheet of material, the corners S1and S2 are held in slight tension by cylinders 56 and 60 toapproximately one half to one pound tension.

[0090] The wrap ring support member 50 is specifically designed to havea truncated conical shape and an average diameter of approximately 4″,5″, 6″, and 8″. This allows wrapping the cone of the film materialtightly without damaging or crushing the bouquet and automatically setsup the required path of the right hand and left hand wrap unitassemblies 1, 2. That is, for a larger diameter bouquet to be wrapped,the extent of the movement of the racks which swing the left and righthand wrap unit assemblies 1, 2 about the bouquet, is greater than itwould be for a smaller diameter bouquet. These movement and timingfunctions, which result in corresponding mechanical movement functions,can be controlled by a central processor or any type ofelectromechanical timing element. Such electronic and electromechanicaltiming devices are well known in various arts, including washingmachines, VCRs, and the like, and no discussion of the operation of suchdevices is deemed necessary or warranted in this description.

[0091] The specific arrangement described herein is merely one exampleof a preferred embodiment of the invention. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that changes may be made in the construction and inthe operation of the various components, elements and assembliesdescribed herein, or in the steps or the sequence of steps of themethods described herein, without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. For example, with a mathematical analysis of the desiredpath for a particular size bouquet, a cam or gear system could bedesigned to force the sheet clamps 11 and 29 to follow a prescribed pathwithout having to operate a series of actuators during movement of theright and left hand wrap unit assemblies 1 and 2. Further, an automaticbonding unit can be employed to bond the overlapped area of the sheet.For example roller 34 could be heated or vibrated to effect bondingbetween itself and the rigid wrap ring support member 50. Optionally, anautomatic bonding unit could be employed to place an elastic ornonelastic band about the wrapped bouquet. Accordingly, the invention isto be interpreted only as to the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for automatically wrapping a sheet ofmaterial about a floral grouping, the floral grouping having a bloom endand a stem end, said method comprising the steps of: providing a sheetof material having spaced apart defined first and second portions, andplacing the sheet against a support member; positioning a floralgrouping on the sheet with the first and second portions of the sheetextending on right and left sides, respectively, of the floral grouping;automatically moving the first sheet portion in a first path to at leastpartially encompass the floral grouping; and automatically moving thesecond sheet portion in a second path to at least partially encompassthe floral grouping and to extend over part of the first sheet portion.2. The method as claimed in claim 1, including the step of automaticallybonding the first and second sheet portions together utilizing a bondingmaterial.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, including the step ofinitiating automatic wrapping of the stem end of the floral grouping, ina controlled wrapping manner, with a third sheet portion adjacent thefloral grouping stem end.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 3, whereinsaid controlled wrapping manner step includes wrapping the stem end withthe third sheet portion tighter than the remainder of the sheet iswrapped.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in said step ofmoving the first sheet portion, the first portion is brought to aposition greater than 180° about the periphery of the floral grouping.6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, in said step of moving thesecond sheet portion, the second sheet portion is brought to a positionoverlapping, but spaced from, the first sheet portion, and said methodincludes the further and subsequent step of bringing the first andsecond sheet portion into contact with one another.
 7. The method asclaimed in claim 1, including the step of disposing a wrap ring memberover, but spaced from, the sheet material and into which the floralgrouping is inserted to provide a support against which the sheetmaterial is wrapped during said moving steps.
 8. The method as claimedin claim 7, including the step of moving the wrapped bouquet toward saidstem end, thereby removing the wrapped floral grouping from the supportmember and said floral grouping from within the wrap ring member.
 9. Themethod as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wrap ring member is suspended,by a beam, over the sheet of material on the support member, and saidsheet providing step includes sliding the sheet between the wrap ringmember and the support member.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9,including the step of clamping the sheet against the beam suspending thewrap ring.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 1, including the step ofclamping the sheet of material to the support member.
 12. The method asclaimed in claim 11, wherein said clamping step includes clamping thesheet relative to the support member at two spaced apart locations alonga line substantially parallel to the axis of the floral grouping. 13.The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said moving steps includeholding onto at least one of the sheet portions by applying negativepressure thereto during movement of the sheet portion.
 14. The method asclaimed in claim 7, wherein said moving steps are performed under theinfluence of selected electromechanical operating parameters related tothe size of the wrap ring member, and said method further includes theoptional steps of: removing the wrap ring member from over the sheet ofmaterial; and replacing it with another wrap ring member of a differentsize; whereby said replacing step automatically alters saidelectromechanical operating parameters to new values related to the sizeof the replacing wrap ring member.
 15. The method as claimed in claim 1,wherein: said providing step includes providing a stack of the sheets ofmaterial; automatically selecting individual sheets of material from thestack, and sequentially placing the sheets one at a time on the supportmember; and subsequent to placing each selected sheet on the supportmember, performing said floral grouping positioning step, and saidmoving steps.
 16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein: saidproviding step includes providing a continuous roll of sheet material,automatically dispensing and feeding the sheet material from the rollonto the support member, and severing the sheet of material to produce asingle sheet of material for processing by said positioning and movingsteps.
 16. An apparatus for automatically wrapping a sheet of materialabout a floral grouping, the floral grouping having a bloom end and astem end, comprising: a support member; means providing a sheet ofmaterial having spaced apart defined first and second portions, and forplacing the sheet against said support member for receiving the floralgrouping on the sheet with the first and second portions of the sheetextending on left and right sides of the floral grouping at or near itsbloom end; first moving means for automatically moving the first sheetportion in a first path to at least partially encompass the floralgrouping; and second moving means for automatically moving the secondsheet portion in a second path to at least partially encompass thefloral grouping and to extend over part of the first sheet portion. 18.The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, including means for automaticallybonding the first and second sheet portions together utilizing a bondingmaterial.
 19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, including means forinitiating automatic wrapping of the stem end of the floral grouping, ina controlled wrapping manner, with a third sheet portion adjacent thefloral grouping stem end.
 20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19,wherein said means for wrapping the stem end is operative to wrap thestem end with the third sheet portion tighter than the remainder of thesheet is wrapped.
 21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein saidfirst means for moving includes means for bringing the first portion ofthe sheet to a position greater than 180° about the periphery of thefloral grouping.
 22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein: saidsecond moving means includes means for bringing the second sheet portionto a position overlapping, but spaced from, the first sheet portion; andmeans for subsequently bringing the first and second sheet portions intocontact with one another.
 23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17,including a ring wrap member positioned over, but spaced from, the sheetof material, said wrap ring member encompassing the floral grouping toprovide a support against which the sheet material is wrapped byoperation of said first and second moving means.
 24. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 23 wherein said wrap ring member comprises a hollow,truncated, conical ring into which the floral grouping is inserted withthe conical ring tapering toward the stem end of the floral grouping.25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein said wrap ring memberincludes an elongated beam having a first end rigidly fixed to saidsupport member at a position spaced from the sheet of material, and asecond end, suspended over the sheet of material on the support member,said wrap ring member including means for mounting said ring on saidsecond end of said beam.
 26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25,including means mounted on said support member for clamping the sheet ofmaterial against said beam.
 27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17,including means for clamping the sheet of material to the said supportmember.
 28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein said clampingmeans includes means for clamping the sheet of material relative to saidsupport member at two spaced apart locations along a line substantiallyparallel to the axis of the floral grouping.
 29. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 17, wherein at least one of said first and secondmoving means comprises means for applying negative pressure to the firstand second sheet portions, respectively, for holding on to therespective sheet portions during operation of said first and secondmoving means.
 30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein saidfirst and second moving means function under the influence of selectedelectromechanical operating parameters related to the size of said wrapring member, and said apparatus further includes: means for setting saidelectromechanical operating parameters responsive to the insertion ofsaid wrap ring member into position over said support member and securedto said support member by said wrap ring members mounting means.
 31. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein said wrap ring member includesa pin adjacent said first end thereof, and said apparatus furtherincludes a plurality of sensors mounted to said support means, saidsensors being responsive to different lengths of pins to set saidelectromechanical operating parameters having different drives dependingupon the length of said pins.
 32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17,wherein the sheets of material are provided in stacks of such sheets,and said apparatus further includes wherein said means for providing asheet of material includes means for automatically selecting individualsheets of material from the stack, and sequentially placing the sheetsone at a time on said support member.
 33. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 17, wherein the sheets of material are provided in a continuousroll of material, and said means for providing a sheet of materialincludes: means for automatically dispensing and feeding the sheetmaterial from the roll on to said support member; and severing the sheetmaterial to produce a single sheet of material to be acted upon by saidfirst and second moving means and said bonding means.